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Back from Central Africa

I have just returned from exploring Central Africa. Unlike my previous trip – the Cape to Cairo – which had a clear destination, this one could have ended anywhere. In approximately 30 days, I travelled by public transport from Johannesburg – through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and then back to Uganda and Kenya. Besides just travelling, I had six things on my TO-DO List:

1. Take a ride on a ferry (MV Liemba) on Lake Tanganyika
2. Stand on the equator in Uganda
3. Bungee jump on the source of the Nile
4. Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
5. Get upclose and personal with the mountain gorillas in Rwanda
6. Visit the remote source of the Nile River at Nyungwe forest in Rwanda.
Unfortunately I managed to do only four of the six things. Which one sexactly? That will be revealed in my next book which is scheduled for publication in September 2009.

I saw the flyers for the bungee jumping at our hotel, and it wasn't something I thought I should try. "The jerry can man" going down the falls was enough for me, I have a short video of it, will see if I can upload, if Ben permits. Not very literary, but was exhilarating to watch. The group spent about 10 minutes debating as to whether we should support extreme sports and dangerous ways of making a living, but in the end we realised the man was going to do the thing anyway and we were going to watch, so we paid him his dues.